A collective effort by community members saved the life of a young male Doberman, that was dragged about 50m under a car in Bloemfontein last night.
ER24 branch manager in the city, Lucas Bezuidenhout, received a call just after 18:00 after the driver had accidently hit a running dog in Napoleon Street.
Bezuidenhout says the driver saw the dog in the rain next to the street, but thought it was running away. He stopped his car immediately when he realised something was wrong. When he got out of his car he saw the injured dog trapped underneath. Bezuidenhout and two community members attended the scene.
When he and a Sector 4 Neighbourhood Watch member, Wimpie Geyer, and his son, Wynand, arrived at the scene, they saw the dog underneath the car. He was struggling to breathe because of the low suspension of the vehicle. Bezuidenhout and Geyer used jacks under the car to lift it. Members of Cobra Towing helped to lift the vehicle further. The injured dog was rescued.
Bezuidenhout says the animal was in shock. They wrapped him in a blanket and moved out of the rain. The dog sustained abrasions to the skin and had a chest wound. He was transported to the local SPCA for further assessment. Bezuidenhout says he is relieved that the dog is doing fine. His owners have not been located yet.
It is believed the dog ran away from home after being frightened by lightning. – Christal-lize Muller
